Automatic and self-powered fire extinguishing device



July 7, 1970 w. T. M. JOHNSON 3,519,081

AUTOMATIC AND SELF-POWERED FIRE EXTINGUISHING DEVICE Filed Dec. 21, 1967 INVENTOR WILL/AM 7.'M. JOHNSON M56 42 ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,519,081 AUTOMATIC AND SELF-POWERED FIRE EXTIN GUISHIN G DEVICE William T. M. Johnson, Lincoln University, Lincoln University, Pa. 19352 Filed Dec. 21, 1967, Ser. No. 692,413

Int. Cl. A62c 35/02 US. Cl. 169-28 12 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE FIELD OF THE INVENTION The invention relates, in general, to a spray discharge device, and, more particularly, to an automatic, selfpowered, fire extinguisher having a container filled with fire extinguishing material; a rocket means for expelling the fire extinguishing material from the container and a fuse which ignites the rocket means.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Heretofore, effective and safe devices for automatically extinguishing fires have not been available. The prior art devices that have been used to automatically extinguish fires have draw-backs such as being hazardous, slow, defective in operation, ineffective or prohibitive in cost. Also, the fire. extinguishing devices are non-directional and depend on water pressure, electrical activation or an explosive charge for operation. Such fire extinguishers are inoperative in many instances and present an unsafe condition in many other instances.

The present invention eliminates the defects of the prior art by providing a device which is effective, safe, inexpensive to install and economical to operate, for rapidly and automatically extinguishing fires.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of this invention to provide an effective and safe fire extinguishing device.

Another object of the invention is to provide a fire extinguishing device that is economical to operate.

It is another object of the invention to provide a selfpowered fire extinguisher which is stable, safe and capable of acting rapidly in the event of a fire emergency.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a fire extinguishing device which is activated when it comes in contact with a flame.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a fire extinguishing device which is safe to use, nonpoisonous and does not generate toxic or noxious gases or fluids and is highly directional, whereby specific items or areas may be protected without the danger of damaging surrounding areas or articles.

The present invention incorporates several desirable features into a fire extinguishing device that are lacking in the prior art. First, the fire extinguisher of the present invention is controllable. That is, it has inherently greater directional control than other types of extinguishers. The chemicals employed in the present extinguisher may be directed to a pin-point area or to cover a very broad area. Secondly, the chemicals used in the extinguisher are safe and the device itself will not explode or present any other type safety hazard. Thirdly, the fire extin- 3,519,081 Patented July 7., 1970 guisher of the present invention may be manufactured so that the period of activity may cover from a very short time period to an extended time period as desired.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION In general, this invention comprises a fire extinguisher which is a combination of a container, rocket engine, fuse and fire extinguishing material. The rocket engine with a fuse attached is placed in the container with a portion of the fuse protruding out of the container. The container is then filled with the fire extinguishing material. The fire extinguisher is operated automatically in the presence of fire by the flame igniting the fuse which, in turn, activates the rocket engine. The gas produced by the engine, which is emitted at high velocity, very rapidly expels the fire extinguishing material from the container and onto the fire.

The concept of expelling a fire extinguishing material from a container in a controllable direction by means of rocket engine is incorporated in the many and varied arrangements depicted in the drawings. The primary concept of the invention is the use of a rocket engine for expelling fire extinguishing material from a container. The rocket engine may be adapted to or arranged with the container to form any number of determinable configurations in design and shape or combinations thereof. The rocket engine is preferably a solid fuel rocket motor, although other embodiments will be evident to those skilled in the art.

Another important feature of the fire extinguishing device of the present invention is the arrangement of the fuse used to ignite the rocket. The fuse, of course, may be connected to the rocket engine in any manner that will cause the desired ignition of the solid fuel. However, the fuse also, and preferably, may be employed in such a manner as additionally to form a protective shield or casing for a portion of or the entire rocket engine. Such shielding of the rocket engine can prevent improper burning of the fuel or a malfunction of the engine caused by a flame coming in contact with the rocket engine. The specific details of the designs of the container and rocket engine as well as that of the fuse system are discussed below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The foregoing and additional objects and features of the invention will be evident, and a fuller understanding of the invention may be had, by referring to the following description and claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic perspective illustration of a solid fuel rocket engine encased in a safety fuse network, in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration in partial cross-section of a first embodiment of the rocket engine fire extinguisher;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a second embodiment of the invention, showing the fire extinguisher utilizing 3 rocket engines in combination with a single container;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the embodiment schematic illustration of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a side plan view of a third embodiment of the invention, showing the rocket engine located on the exterior of the container, with its propulsion gases directed at the fire extinguishing material in the container;

FIG. 6 is a side plan view of a fourth embodiment of the invention showing the new rocket engine mounted on the exterior of the container with the propulsion gases directed through the fire extinguishing material;

FIG. 7 is a side plan view of another embodiment of the invention, wherein the rocket engine and fire extinguishing material are sealed in a container which has a directional spout; and

FIG. 8 is a top view and FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 9-9 of FIG. 8, illustrating one form of a directional dispersal means for expelled fire extinguishing material.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates the basic solid fuel rocket engine 1, with the optional safety network or netting of the fuse 2, used in this invention. The rocket engine comprises a solid fuel propellant and nozzle, encased in a suitable material. The material of which the casing of the rocket engine is made is preferably nonshrapnel producing, such as paper. The safety network of fusing material which is used to protect the rocket engine 1 from flame is of the rapid burning conventional ty e.

"The rocket engine 1 is protected from the flame of a fire, which may get to it before the rocket engine 1 ignites and thus cause improper ignition of the rocket fuel, hotspots, or malfunction of the rocket engine 1, by the safety fuse network of material 3 and 4. Should the network of fusing 3 and 4, wrapped about the rocket engine 1, be ignited by a flame from a fire, the fuse 3 and 4 will burn, igniting the solid rocket fuel in the process. The fuse 2 is wrapped both longitudinally 3 and circumferentially 4 with respect to the axis of the rocket engine, as illustrated by the drawing in FIG. 1. The longitudinal 3 and circumferential 4 fuse windings contact each other where they cross at points 5 so that the rocket engine 1 may be more readily ignited should it be subjected to fire. Should a circumferential winding 4 be ignited it will in turn ignite a longitudinal winding 3 at the point of intersection 5. The longitudinal portion of the fuse network will burn until it reaches the rocket fuel. The ends of the longitudinal windings 3 are either connected directly to the rocket fuel or connected to fuse 2 which in turn is connected to the rocket fuel.

Now referring to FIG. 2, there is illustrated one of the preferred embodiments of the invention, showing the fire extinguishing device comprising a container 6, the solid fuel rocket engine 1 and the desired amount of fire extinguishing material 7 covering the rocket engine 1. The rocket engine is so located in the container 6 that the gases from the ignited rocket engine 1, will expel or force the fire extinguishing material 7 from the container 6.

The container 6 may be of varied shapes, sizes and designs. Examples of such shapes are the dish, bowl, disc, I

cone, etc. The container may contain lips, spouts, rolled edges or other features to obtain the desired areas of coverage and directional features. The container 6 may be designed or arranged so that the expulsion of the fire extinguishing material 7 may be directionally controlled. The control of the area of coverage and direction may be accomplished by the appropriate design of the container 6. A container having a V-shape will permit the fire extinguisher material 7 to be directed to a very small or confined area. A bowl shaped container 6 having a portion of the edge lower than the remaining portion of the bowl will permit the fire extinguishing material 7 to be directed and also to cover a larger area. A disc or fiat shaped container 6 will allow a very broad coverage but will not be as directional as other shapes and designs.

The rocket engine 1 also may be used to control the direction and area of coverage of the fire extinguishing material 7. A rocket engine with a high velocity of propulsion will propel the fire extinguishing material 7 for a great distance whereas an engine with a very low velocity of propulsion may be used when it is desired to cover a very small or confined area with fire extinguishing material 7. The rocket engine 1 may be arranged in the container 6 to control the direction of the expulsion of the fire extinguishing material 7. Such arrangements in- 4 clude the locating of the rocket engine in the container to expel the fire extinguishing material 7 in one direction as shown in FIG. 2. Another arrangement would be to stand the rocket engine on end so that its propulsion gases are directed toward the center and bottom of the container forcing the fire extinguishing material 7 out of the container 6 in all directions. Another method of directing the flow of the fire extinguishing material 7 would be to place fins in the container 6 to direct the gases from the rocket engine in such a way as to obtain the desired area of coverage. The rocket engine 1 is ignited via the fuse 2 or safety fuse network 3, 4 and 5 as previously described.

A modification of the invention is shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. The drawings illustrate the use of two or more, illustrated by three, rocket engines 1 to give a peripheral spray of the fire extinguishing material 7 from the container 8. The fuses of the rocket engines 1 are joined together at a junction 9 so that when the fuse 2 from one of the rocket engines 1 is ignited it will in turn ignite the fuses of the other engines 1. Except for having three rocket engines instead of one, the system functions substantially the same as the fire extinguisher discussed in conjunction with FIG. 2. The fuses may be arranged to ignite all rocket engines at the same time or sequentially as desired.

The container 8 may be designed to give the desired direction of flow and area of coverage of the fire extinguishing material 7. If desired, the container 8 may contain a lip 10 for the purpose of returning low velocity fire extinguishing material 7 back to the center of the container or the lip 10 may be used as an aid in controlling the direction and area of coverage of the fire extinguishing material 7.

The rocket engines 1 may also be arranged in the container in such a way as to affect the direction and/ or the coverage of the fire extinguishing material 7. Of course, the system may be adapted to contain any number of rocket engines 1 depending on the degree of directional control and/or of coverage desired.

The rocket engine 1 may be placed outside of or away from the container which holds the fire extinguishing material 7. Such an arrangement is illustrated in FIG. 5 where the engine is placed directly above the container 11 and fire extinguishing material 7. When the solid fuel rocket engine 1 is placed outside of the container it will be positioned in such a manner that the propulsion gases are directed toward the fire extinguishing material 7 in container 11 and will expel the material 7 from the container 11. Locating the rocket engine 1 outside of the container permits greater variation and control of the direction of flow of the fire extinguishing material 7. By placing the engine above the container in the manner shown in FIG. 5, one engine can provide a uniform circumferential distribution of fire extinguishing material 7. The container 11 in this particular embodiment is substantially cone-shaped, and thus deeper than those of previous embodiments, to give a more limited coverage of the sprayed material. As indicated by the dotted line 12, the exhaust gases from the engine are directed almost vertically upward along the container walls, carrying fire extinguishing material 7 in the same direction, and preventing it from spreading very far in a radial direction. The engine is mounted in such a manner that its casing serves as the support bracket for the container, one end of the engine being connected to a ceiling or other support by means of a plate 13, and the other end being fastened to the container. However, an optional feature would be to mount the engine and container separately. The solid fuel rocket engine 1 is ignited in the same manner as discussed above, the fuse 2 being arranged to lie in the area to be protected.

FIG. 6 illustrates a modification of the arrangement of FIG. 5, showing the externally-mounted rocket engine 1 attached at the apex of a conical container 14. The container 14 again is attached to a suitable supporting memher, such as the ceiling, by means of suitable bracket means with the open portion of the container facing upwardly. When the solid fuel rocket engine 1 is ignited, the gases expel the fire extinguishing material 7 upwardly and outwardly from the container 14. The conical container 14 may be a right circular cone, oblique or scalene cones, or a frustum of a cone. The rocket engine 1 may be attached to the cone at the apex of the cone or on the side of the cone, depending on the desired flow of fire extinguishing material 7. It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that attachments of suitable design may be provided for the cone to direct the fire extinguishing material in any desired pattern of coverage. The rocket engine 1 is ignited by means of fuse 2 in the manner discussed above.

A further embodiment of this invention, is illustrated by FIG. 7 by the provision of a fire extinguisher of a unitary structure, where the solid fuel rocket engine 1 and fire extinguishing material 7 are both enclosed in a container 16. The container 16 also incorporates an-opening such as nozzle means 17 for directing the flow of the fire extinguishing material 7. The rocket engine 1 is located in the lower portion 18 of the container 16 and the fire extinguishing material 7 is located in the upper portion 19 of the container 16. The nozzle means 17 is shown in the drawing on the side of the upper portion 19 of the container 16 near the top. However, the nozzle or guide means 17 may be located at any position on the upper portion of the container. When the rocket engine is ignited by the fuse 2, its propulsion gases force or expel the fire extinguishing material 7 out of the container 16 via the nozzle means 17.

The nozzle or guide means 17 may be of any shape or configuration such as cone shape, circular, elongated, etc.

Because of the configuration of the container, the extinguisher of this embodiment may be employed as a sta tionary device, as by mounting it with suitable brackets, or as a portable device.

As noted above, dispersal means of various shapes and designs may be provided to direct the fire extinguishing material 7 as it is expelled from a container. An example of a suitable dispersal means is illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9. As illustrated, the container in this embodiment comprises a fan-shaped dish 20 having a fiat bottom and low sides, with an inwardly turned lip 21 at the wide end and the rocket engine 1 at the narrow end of the container. The propulsion gases from the engine 1 are directed across the container 20, picking up the fire extinguishing material 7 and carrying it over the lip 21. The lip 21 tends to restrict the area of coverage of the extinguisher by interrupting the flow of gas and entrained material. To insure proper horizontal dispersal of the material, a plurality of fins, or divergent shields 22 are arranged to guide the expelled gases and fire extinguishing material 7 as they flow across the container 20.

Although the dispersal means of FIGS. 8 and 9 are illustrated in combination with a specific container 20, it will be apparent that means such as fins 22 can be utilized in combination with, or as attachments for, the other container embodiments described herein. The particular shape and size of such dispersal means will depend on the spray pattern desired and on the force generated by the engine when it is ignited.

The fire extinguishing material used in this invention may be one of the many dry inert compositions, preferably powder or granulated, such as sand, powdered talc, etc., or dry decomposable chemical compounds such as carbonates and bicarbonates of sodium and potassium, monoammonium phosphate and other smothering and/ or oxidation inhibiting material conventionally used for fire extinguishing purposes. The dry chemical compositions may preferably be treated with a protective composition so that they will be water repellent and free flowing under humid conditions. The amount of powder required may vary a great deal, depending on the particular use to which the fire extinguishing device will be put. However, for normal home and industrial uses, the amount of fire extinguishing material used will be between 2 and pounds. Less than 2 pounds generally will be ineffective for a fire of any appreciable size while amounts over 100 pounds generally are too bulky for convenient domestic handling. Substantially larger amounts may be used for open air installations, for example, to protect against forest fires.

The rocket engine preferably utilizes a solid fuel which yields thrust in an amount determined by the requirement of a particular installation. Usually a thrust of about 20 to about 1500 lbs. per square inch which lasts for a period of about 0.1 sec. to about 1 minute will be sulficient. The dimensions of the rocket motor may vary from about 3 in. to 24 in. long and 0.5 in. to 6 in. in diameter, in typical applications. Substantially larger rocket engines may be used for protection of forests.

The fuse employed in the device is a conventional flame-activated fuse. The burning rate is preferably between about 1 ft./ sec. to about 3000 yards/ sec. However, the burning rate of the fuse may exceed the above limits of the range if such be desired. Such a condition for exceeding the limit of 3000 yards/sec. would be where the fire extinguisher was located a distance from the area of the fire or where it would be desirable to set off other fire extinguishers in the surrounding areas as a protective measure. The safety network of fuse material encasing the rocket motor, which is optional and illustrated in FIG. 1, protects the rocket engine from flames. Occasionally, flames may get to the rocket engine before it ignites and the net of fuse material around the rocket engine avoids this problem. Should flames reach any part of the engine, the fuse Will burn, igniting the rocket fuel, causing a normal and safe discharge of the propellant through the exhaust nozzle and possibly preventing a malfunction of the device or hot spots in the rocket engine. Alarm features, such as a whistle or the like, may be incorporated in the rocket engine to warn that it has been ignited. Also, the rocket engine is protected in some of the embodiments of the invention by being totally immersed in the fire extinguishing powder.

Although the present invention has been described with respect to specific embodiments thereof, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that numerous changes and modifications can be made in the disclosed structures without departing from the essential concept of the invention. For example, the container illustrated in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 may contain a lid or shield to direct the fiow of the fire extinguishing material in a downward direction and the container may also contain apertures around the upper edge of the container to allow some of the fire extinguishing material to be dispersed over a certain area. The container shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 may be elongated, deformed or contain a lid or shield to control the area of coverage. The extinguishers of the present invention may be positioned or mounted to or on a structure or building by any known method of mounting an object such as placing it on a table, shelf, floor, platform, etc., suspending it from the ceiling by means of clamps, brackets, holders, etc., or mounted to a vertical member such as a wall, post, etc., by brackets, holders, clamps or other devices suitable for such purposes. The concept of the present invention may be used to expel other dry powder from a container or receptacle such as fertilizer, insecticides, germicides, etc.

It is to be understood, therefore, that the scope of the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments set forth herein, but includes the various alternatives and modifications that fall within the true spirit of the invention as defined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. A spray discharge fire extinguishing device for protecting a predetermined area comprising:

(a) a shaped container for carrying a material to be 7 sprayed and for directing said material sprayed in a predetermined direction;

(b) a rocket means associated with said container and emitting a gas in a controlled, determinable direction at a predetermined velocity for a substantial predetermined period of time so that a continuous, even flow of said material is sprayed from said container by said emitted gas during said substantial period of time to provide an even distribution of said material over the area to be protected by the device;

(c) a fusing means for activating said rocket means which extends into the area to be protected by said fire extinguishing device; and

(d) a protective means for said rocket means for preventing improper burning of said rocket means, said protective means including a netting of said fusing means Wrapped around said rocket means both longitudinally and circumferentially.

2. The spray discharge device of claim 1, wherein said rocket means is located within said container.

3. The spray discharge device of claim 1, wherein a plurality of rocket means are provided to produce a discharge of said material in several directions.

4. The spray discharge device of claim 1 wherein the rocket means is mounted on the exterior of the container.

5. The spray discharge device of claim 1 wherein the rocket means is mounted adjacent said container.

6. The spray discharge device of claim 1 wherein the said container is dish-shaped, with rocket means positioned on one side and aimed toward the center of the container.

7. The spray discharge device of claim 1 wherein the container is dish-shaped, with plurality of rocket means arranged in the center of said container to expel the ma terial circumferentially.

8. The spray discharge device of claim 1 wherein the container is cone-shaped with rocket means mounted above.

9. The spray discharge device of claim 1 wherein the container is cone-shaped with rocket means attached to direct gases through an opening in said container.

10. The spray discharge deviceof claim 1 wherein the container is a unitary housing for the material and the rocket means, including nozzle means for directional expulsion of said material.

11. The spray discharge device of claim 1 wherein the container has a guide means attached to said container to direct the flow of gas and material.

12. The spray discharge device of claim 1 wherein the said material is fire extinguishing, whereby said spray device may be used as a fire extinguisher.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 310,888 1/1885 Giblin 169-28 1,149,975 8/1915 Cole 169-28 2,702,599 2/1955 Sights 169-28 3,065,798 11/1962 Pearson et a1. 169-28 3,401,750 9/1968 Larsen 16928 LLOYD L. KING, Primary Examiner 

